NOVA tells the story of how the Allies are able to crack codes produced by Enigma, a supposedly impenetrable German cipher machine, and thereby influence the course of WWII.

The program:

describes how Enigma
can produce more configurations for any particular message than there are grains of sand on Earth.

tells how the British
government secretly invited men and women of all ages and abilities—including Egyptologists, anthropologists, paleontologists, mathematicians, and
crossword puzzle enthusiasts—to unravel the Enigma cipher at Station X, a mansion 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of London.

relates the patience, team effort, and absolute secrecy needed to accomplish
the task.

explains how codebreakers at Station X recognized
the role that human error played in helping to break the code.

describes how the work
at Station X gave Allied commanders essential information to attack the enemy effectively and reroute military personnel to avoid German attack.